Description of the Related Art
Eccentric bushings may be used to connect bolted joints. The eccentric bushings permit the alignment of each side of the joint even when the holes through the fittings of the joint may not be perfectly aligned. However, shear loads applied to the bushings may have a tendency to rotate the bushings due to their eccentricity. In order to prohibit rotation of the bushings, the bushing may include splined teeth on the exterior of the bushing. A lock plate may be positioned around the circumference of the bushing that includes splined teeth configured to engage the teeth of the bushings. The lock plate is configured to engage a stop lock on the fitting that prohibits the rotation of the lock plate. The mating teeth between the lock plate and the bushing prohibits the rotation of the bushing.
The use of splined teeth on the components increases the manufacturing cost for the components. The splined teeth also may increase the installation time required to connect bolted joints especially if a large number of joints need to be connected. For example, an aircraft may include over forty (40) beam and frame fittings that need to be connected. For connection of a beam fitting with a frame fitting, the teeth of a bushing need to be lined up with the teeth on the lock plate. Additionally, the lock plate needs to be aligned so that a portion of the lock engages a lock stop on the fitting, which may add to the difficulty of installing the components. Other disadvantages of using an eccentric bushing and lock plate with splined teeth may exist.